


Homecoming

by Skavvie



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Bad Puns, Blood and Gore, Depression, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Polyamory, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Swearing, Unhealthy Relationships, Vomiting, Wartime, please read warnings, polypearls, teenage masturbation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-05-26 14:52:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15003224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skavvie/pseuds/Skavvie
Summary: After several years away, both on the battlefield, and not Pearl White comes back to her home town in an attempt to get her life back on track. The ex soldier's will to live has been dwindling and she hopes the peace and quiet will help her find it again. Reconnecting with her two best friends Pearl Goldfield and Pearl Azura, nicknamed Yellow and Blue to avoid confusion, was an unexpected benefit. (Sorry fam I suck at summaries)





	1. Sixteen Hours

**Author's Note:**

> Being a huge fan of the polypearls ship I've decided to try my hand at writing my own. Please read the tags, I know some of the things I write about could be triggering and I don't want to hurt anyone. All references to mental illness, suicide, and self harm are done with the upmost respect for those currently coping with them.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl starts her journey to put her life back together

The dirty window pane of the bus felt uncomfortably hot against Pearl's cheek, it almost felt like _no don't think about that_. She snapped her semi conscious mind away from memories of choking sand and near unbearable heat. The war was over, it was over now and had been for over a year, and she needed to move on. Diesel smoke drifted through the floor from the bus's outdated exhaust system making the pale passenger's eyes water. Under the cheap gray polyester seats her long legs were horribly cramped from the ride. Sixteen hours on a Greyhound was definitely an endurance test even for someone as disciplined as Pearl White. A cursory glance at her watch, set precisely to the atomic clock in D.C, told her she was coming to the end of her journey. In roughly two hour's time she would be back in Lakesville, the town of her birth, and officially free of Rose Quartz-Universe. The thought was both exceedingly comforting and the most terrifying thing she's had to deal with since coming home. 

Of course home was hardly a home anymore and hadn't been for quite some time, not that she would have known that. Having enlisted in the army she wasn't around to witness the slow decay of her and Rose's relationship. Her first clue that something was wrong was when Rose started missing their evening phone calls. Every night when Pearl got off patrol, before she ate or tried getting the sand out of her boots, she would grab her specially unlocked phone and dial her fiance. It was a ritual that had been faithfully followed for her first two years of her Middle Eastern tour. That fateful night however the phone rang, and rang, and rang, until a recorded message informed Pearl that Rose's voicemail box was full. Although she was upset she had been willing to write the whole thing off as a fluke, until it happened again. After two and a half weeks of trying in vain to call Pearl finally got something other than silence; it was a robotic voice telling her the number she called was no longer in service. Panic hadn't even set in fully before her commanding officer had run up to her saying she had an urgent call. Said call was from her father; her mother had been sick and he was letting her know that they were taking her off life support. 

A particularly nasty pothole sent the bus reeling on its aged suspension and snapped Pearl out of her memories by causing her forehead to bang against the window she was leaning on. Cursing under her breath Pearl forced her weary body to sit up straight while she rubbed the sore spot on her head. Further up towards the front of the lurching vehicle an elderly woman yelled at the driver to watch where he was going. The loud voice made Pearl unconsciously sit up a little bit straighter, the driver's responding platitude made her immediately lose interest. _It's in the past_ , she mentally scolded herself for probably the thousandth time, _Greg won, she chose him, it's over_ But if it was truly over why had she spent a year trying to make it work, why couldn't she just move on? Why was she hung up on a woman who clearly had no regard for anyone's needs but her own? These were the same questions she had been asking herself over and over again since she got back.

Sighing heavily she let her eyes drift to the window once again, looking at nothing in particular. Her reflection looked back at her; blue eyes surrounded by dark circles, long nose, thin lips, and strawberry blonde hair that was growing unkempt. Pearl had always been thin but now, reflected in dirty glass, she looked practically skeletal. Her cheeks were sinking in with waxy skin stretched so tightly over the bone that it looked like it would snap at any moment. Underneath her powder blue sleeveless top minute amounts of flesh clung pitifully to her ribs. Cheerful yellow capris wrapped around her thin thighs like a second layer of skin. A year of imprisonment within depression's cold chains had taken its toll on her in more than one way. Healthy meals, a rigorous exercise regimen, and a strict bedtime had all been sacrificed in favor of sleepless nights and forgetting to eat. About the only thing she could stomach on a regular basis was hot tea and even then she hated it because floral white had been Rose's favorite. As if that thought had reawakened it her stomach began to growl; when had she eaten last? Food was yet another thing added to her mental to do list when she finally reached her destination. 


	2. Cobwebs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl reaches her destination and gets a good look at what she'll be working with

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update! The next few weeks are going to be pretty crazy so updates are going to be kind of random. Eventually I want to graduate to a stable once a week routine but we'll see.

Six in the afternoon, 1800 according to Pearl's watch which was set to military time, found the former soldier standing in front of her childhood home. Tangles of weeds now had free reign over the flower beds her mother had meticulously maintained while she was alive. White paint was flaking away from the house's exterior to fall like snowflakes on the overgrown grass. Pearl's old swing set had fallen apart years ago; pieces of it were sitting in a pile by the shed at the side of the building. Judging on the exterior alone there was no denying that the old place needed quite a bit of work. Still she was exceptionally grateful that her father hadn't sold it when he decided to retire somewhere warmer. "Your mother and I always hoped you'd take the place over and raise a family of your own", he wrote to her. "With your **preferences** I realize that our dreams of your future will never come to be but nevertheless it's only right that you keep the house. Once you return to the states we can settle up the paperwork for the transfer of ownership". She had never been sure what exactly to do with the place until a month prior to her bus ride. Hopefully it would serve as an oasis of serenity in her chaotic mind, a place where she could regroup and move on. 

Years of dust build up burst into the air when Pearl unlocked the heavy oak front door causing her eyes to water. No one had been inside the structure since her father left three years prior and it showed. Thick grey cobwebs hung from every corner of the darkened foyer that was just inside the door. Looking at the state of this small space she shuddered to imagine what the other rooms looked like. Her sensitive nose caught a whiff of something akin to mildew coming from the staircase in front of her. Said stairs no longer had their banister; it was laying in pieces on the floor nearby. Directly to the right of the main door's frame a coat closet gaped, its own door hanging from the hinges. Something heavy enough to leave deep gashes on the wall and floor had been dragged out during the move. Whatever it was had also broken a piece off the front door's kick plate compromising the weather seal. 

Techs from the electric company were scheduled to visit in the morning to turn the power back on. Once the power was restored the Lakesville department of public works would be out to engage the water pumps. After the utilities were restored Pearl would be able to earnestly tackle fixing up the interior of the old place. Kind of hard to wash things down without access to water or the ability to see where you were going. She looked forward to throwing herself headlong into the repairs and forgetting her troubles for a while. Vigorously cleaning had always been a strangely meditative act for as far back as she could remember. The night her mother was removed from life support she discarded sleep in favor of scrubbing the mess hall. Before saying her final goodbye to Rose she had deep cleaned her bedroom four times. 

A three floor house was a lot of space for the newly single Pearl;this was a house meant for a large family. Obviously she wasn't going to follow in her mother's footsteps and be a stay at home wife. Ignoring the fact that she was about as straight as an Alan wrench she despised children. Well more accurately she despised disorder, which children excelled at by their very nature. Loud noises set her very much on edge these days; yet another reason for her move away from the city. Renting out a room or two wasn't a viable option until she was in a better place mentally. Sobbing your eyes out at three in the morning wasn't really a way to earn the confidence of your tenants. Ballet had always been a passion of her's, perhaps she could convert one of the former bedrooms into a dance studio. Having put a majority of her paychecks into a savings account it wasn't like she needed to find a job in a hurry. In fact if her medical paperwork was approved by the VA she would only have to find a job if she wanted to. Somehow though that small perk failed to compensate for the horrific nightmares she still experienced. 

Still weary from the long bus ride Pearl decided that finding a use for the extra space was a problem for the future. At the moment all she wanted to do was order herself something to eat and relax for a while. She continued to the former living room dragging her wheeled suitcase behind her. The musty stench of water damage followed her accompanied by the creaking of warped floorboards. When it was full of furniture, in Pearl's youth, the eighteen by twenty foot space had felt comfortable. A long leather sofa big enough for the whole family plus guests used to be the centerpiece of the room. Window boxes of fragrant herbs held a place of honor on the sill of the eastern facing bay window. Beams of early evening light filtering through the filthy glass highlighted the lighter sections of pale blue wall that once housed bookshelves. Devoid of its accouterments the area felt hollow, "just like me", the homeowner mused out loud. She then shook her head at how melodramatic that sounded; it was like something out of a bad coming of age novel. Similar to the foyer copious amounts of cobwebs dominated any available space including the windows. Dust and various detritus left behind who knows how long ago littered the once gleaming hardwood floor.

Wrinkling her nose at the filth Pearl attempted to tidy up a small place of floor before sitting down. From her new vantage point she could see evidence of water damage on the plaster wall near the window. Her stomach was growling impatiently; its needs having been cast aside for far too long. Scanning through her phone she found that her favorite childhood diner had closed and in its place was something called Fish Stew Pizza. Lucky for her impatient stomach the restaurant offered an ordering service right through her phone. Thirty five minutes later she resumed scrolling through her phone with one hand while munching on a veggie wrap. She hadn't needed to see the state of the entire house to know that she was going to need some professional help. A quick online search yielded a promising candidate; Famethyst Construction and Landscaping. Despite the odd name the company boasted dozens of four and five star reviews on its web page. Pearl filled in the required application for a consultation visit before putting her phone aside and tackling her dinner in earnest. Rather than forcing her overly tired body to get up and search for a nearby hotel she curled up on the floor. Tattered spider webs, dirt, and grime were far from the worst things she had ever slept in and soon she was blissfully unconscious.


	3. Early mornings are for clods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl gets her power turned on by the weirdest techie she has ever met

Boom, boom, boom; three loud bangs jolted Pearl from the little ball she had curled herself in to. For a single horrifying instant she was nineteen again under heavy mortar fire in the desert. Heat burned her body and grains of sand clogged her mouth and nose cutting off her oxygen supply. All she could taste was grit and the bitter remains of smoke from makeshift accelerant. Indistinct shouting rang in her suddenly hypersensitive ears followed by more bangs. Adrenaline flooded through her system urging her to flee the source of the sounds. Lithe muscles coiled in her legs preparing to charge head on towards the chaos. Her drill sergeant's words cutting through the sleepy haze, "Concentrate; don't you want her to live?" 

The flashback was over as soon as it began, leaving her trembling on the floor of her new home. Cold sweat soaked through her clothes from the previous day; she had fallen asleep without changing. Banging and shouting were still echoing from the direction of the front door. It took three tries before she had enough moisture in her throat to yell, "I'm coming". Rising unsteadily to her feet she made her way back along the path she had traveled the previous evening. One pale hand remained pressed against the wall as she walked helping her remain steady. There was no time to perform her usual deep breathing exercises so her heart continued to slam against her ribs. Flashbacks were a way of life for her now and although she had ways of dealing with them they never failed to leave her feeling drained. 

Opening the heavy oak door Pearl was greeted by the sight of a tall woman sporting a tablet and a scowl. Bleach blonde hair stuck up from her head at odd angles forming something almost like a triangle. Bright green eyes, akin to the color of fresh cut grass, squinted behind a pair of tinted safety glasses. In Pearl's opinion her early morning visitor looked like she had been caught in the middle of a growth spurt. She was mostly limbs; gangly long arm with sharp elbows and legs that seemed disproportionate to her torso. The long sleeved green shirt she wore hung loosely off her, tucked into a pair of dark pants and finished off with short black boots. Thin lips stretched themselves into a rough approximation of a smile when she noticed Pearl. "Greetings", she said in a nasally voice, "I am Peridot from Diamonte electric, are you Miss White?" 

"I am", Pearl responded wincing at how hoarse her voice sounded; she mentally scolded herself. Something as mundane as an unexpected knock on the door shouldn't leave her feeling this rattled. At twenty-six she had seen more than her fair share of real combat damage inflicted on her fellow countrymen. The shrapnel damage, bullet wounds, and blunt force trauma she helped patch up during her medic days; she considered those real injuries. Deep down in the layers of her psyche she felt guilty for leaving the war so effected when so many others had been transported out in body bags. Clearing her throat she continued, "Sorry for not answering you sooner it's hard to hear visitors from the back." 

Peridot gave a non-committal grunt in response, her verdant eyes scanning the text on her tablet. "According to my records your home's wiring system hasn't been updated since 1965 when grounding wires became mandatory. Unless it is your wish to die in a fire for no logical reason I would suggest getting an electrician out here. Not like those fucking clods have anything better to do", she grumbled under her breath loud enough for Pearl to hear. Unsure how to respond to that morbid advice Pearl stood awkwardly until Peridot turned the device to face her. "Sign here stating you agree that the great and lovable Peridot graced you with her presence." Seeing Pearl's confusion she sighed, "Use your finger and sign; it's an agreement saying you acknowledge that I showed up as scheduled." 

"Oh um right", Pearl blinked owlishly a few times before signing as she was asked, "here you are." Stealing a quick glance at the tablet's upper right hand corner she was finally made aware of the time; seven in the morning. It was the earliest she had gotten out of bed in quite some time and honestly she was glad for it. Before her life had gone so spectacularly off the rails Pearl enjoyed waking before sunrise and taking a run in the haze of predawn. She was snapped out of her revere by an awkward cough; Peridot was looking expectantly at her. Confusion set in for half a second until she realized she was still holding the technician's tablet. Pink spread across her hollow cheeks as she placed the device in its owner's outstretched hand, "Sorry. It seems I'm a little out of it this morning", she attempted to laugh but it came out too high and loud to be genuine. 

"Err Right", Peridot said with a raised eyebrow; her long fingers skimmed across the touch screen of her tablet. Her tone stated quite plainly that she didn't believe Pearl's excuse but didn't care enough to question it. "Very well everything appears to be in order I'll just need to", whatever she was going to say was interrupted by blaring rock music. 

A large white van was pulling up the long gravel drive way with its windows down and radio set to high shattering the early morning tranquility. All Pearl could see of the driver was a white baseball cap with a red rim, pulled low over their face, and a lit cigarette. The front license plate was powder blue with the state seal visible in the leftmost corner. With the final chords of Slipknot's "Wait and Bleed" still ringing through the air the driver decided to step out. They were about Pearl's height with skin that was tanned a rich golden color. Blue hair poked out from the front brim of their white hat matching the color of their eyes. Dark circles hung heavy under those soft blue eyes making it clear their owner hadn't slept properly in some time. It was hard to tell their gender in the loose fitting grey work shirt, helpfully embroidered with a name tag that said Bob. "Lakesville department of public works", a bored sounding voice said; Pearl decided Bob was female. "It's too fucking early for this shit so take me to your water main so I can go home." 

Peridot let out an indignant screech as she stomped up to the woman, "What the fucking hell Lazuli? Your clod ass stays up until three in the goddamn morning on a work night. What in the name of Satan's frozen left ass cheek do you think you're playing at?" Pearl raised a delicate eyebrow at the interaction and silently hoped the two were on friendly terms. Were that not the case she was sure Peridot was committing some form of career suicide. Rule one of any given service job was not swearing in front of the customers and boy did the willowy blonde have a mouth on her. She continued to spout off every expletive in the English language before switching over to German. Through it all the blue haired woman, Lazuli apparently, played idly with her phone looking bored. 

When Peridot paused for breath Lazuli placed a tanned hand on her shoulder chuckling softly. "Cool your tits rageidot, you really think I'm up this early by fucking choice? Topaz had a case of the squirts so Aquamarine called me in on my day off." Both parties continued to argue seeming to have forgotten that they were on a job site. Pearl stood back awkwardly, her body falling easily into the stance known as parade rest. Behind her back her right hand gripped the thin wrist of her left; it was a self comfort reflex. When you're on the front lines defending your country the only one you can count on to hold your hand is you. It was a difficult thing to explain to someone who had never experienced war: the constant fear, the mind numbing exhaustion, and most of all the sense of crippling isolation. Watching those you've grown close to gunned down in cold blood from drone fire or distant snipers; never seeing your enemy. Three squad mate deaths in the first year gave Pearl first hand experience in the futility of trying to make friends. 

"Shit okay I give", Peridot's shrill yelling pulled Pearl away from the ghosts of her past and back into the moment. Lazuli had the taller girl in a headlock and was grinding her fist in the blonde's mop of hair. Peridot was stuck in some sort of weird half crouch trying to shake the other girl off with one hand and gripping her tablet with the other. The sight was so out of place that Pearl couldn't suppress the loud bark of laughter. Immediately the two technicians froze suddenly remembering that they had jobs to do. Nearly identical blushes dusted their cheeks and noses with Peridot's extending up to her ears. Peridot untangled herself from Lazuli and cleared her throat, "right erm anyway let's get your power turned on then." She strode confidently towards the side of the house like nothing had ever happened.


	4. Not all rainbows are happy go lucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl gets hit with a couple blasts from the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legit guys if you haven't read the tags please do so before starting this chapter. Things haven't been bad so far but they're about to start getting heavy.

_Night had fallen, Pearl had just finished her nightly call with Rose when a booming voice called out to her from behind, "up late private?" The unexpected noise made the nineteen year old yelp and drop her cellphone out of fright. Booming laughter preceded the shape of a large woman who was striding forward from the side of the communications shed. Bright rainbow dreadlocks, normally tied back with elastic, hung freely framing a strong jaw. It was a stunning contrast to her dark skin which looked almost purple in the camp's low light. "Aww I'm just messin with you Pearl, you know I'm not the type to get all up in your bismuth." A large hand clapped down on Pearl's shoulder in an exuberant display of friendly affection. "It's great that you've got someone you care about enough to call up after the shit we dealt with today. Memories are sometimes the only reason we have to keep going when all hell breaks loose. Remember; when everything is chaos all you've got is the way you feel and your training, you think about the life you'll have after this. You think about the life you'll have together after the war, do that and", the sharp crack of a rifle cut through the night. Bismuth staggered to one side, knocking Pearl over with her weight, hands clutching her throat. Blood was pouring from between her closed fingers; she opened her mouth to speak again. A second shot rang out bursting the sergeant's head like an overripe melon and covering Pearl in pink brains. At the time the only thing she could think was, "That shade of pink is actually kind of pretty"._

 

Vomit burbled in the back of Pearl's throat and she rushed towards the hardware store's exit. She scarcely made it into the parking lot before she was pushed to the knees by the force of the puke escaping. Everything had been fine just a few moments prior; her power and water were successfully restored and she had gone to the hardware store to look at paint. There was no way she could have predicted that the myriad of colors lined up together would make her think of Bismuth. Tears streamed from her eyes as her body continued to heave out the remains of her breakfast. How long it lasted, she wasn't sure; time sort of blurred into a state of wet misery. "Miss", a soft voice followed by a cool hand on her shoulder, "are you alright?" Through a blur of tears Pearl looked up to see a round face sporting a sympathetic smile. Pale blonde hair with blue tips hung around the speaker's face blocking her eyes from view. Darting eyes found something to focus on, a name tag that read Pearl Azura: Front End Supervisor. 

 

Disbelief made Pearl's voice shake when she spoke, "Holy shit Blue is that really you?" There was no holding back the semi hysterical laughter even if she tried, she was too far gone for that. Blue, also known as Pearl Azura, had been one of her best friends since preschool. For years the two of them along with another girl, Pearl Goldfield, had been nigh inseparable. Having three girls with the same name in the same class had been confusing for the teacher, hence the nicknames. Sadly the three of them had lost touch when Pearl enlisted shortly after graduation. She had no idea that Blue was still so local; growing up she had always talked about moving to Paris and becoming a dancer. Realizing she hadn't answered the other woman's question she sighed wiping her mouth, "Sorry. Yeah I'm okay just", she hesitated wondering if she should tell the truth, "dealing with a stomach bug." Later, she decided, later on once they've gotten a chance to get to know each other again she'd tell her. For the moment it was best to follow her mother's advice from one of their more hurtful arguments; she was going to smile and pretend to be normal. 

 

Dainty hands parted her bangs in shock, exposing two slightly crossed grey eyes, "Pearl? Oh my god it's really you", A delighted squeal was all the warning Pearl was given before she was tackled into a hug. Waifish as she was Blue held on with a grip that felt hard enough to crack someone's ribs. For a second it looked like she had stomped right through the technicolor vomit, thankfully she hadn't. "Holy fuck I NEED to call Yellow, she'll be so jealous that I saw you first", the arms squeezing the air out of Pearl loosened. Pearl took a grateful gulp of air in through her nose and winced at the acidic stink of sick. The grimace did not go unnoticed by her bubbly companion, "Come on let's go inside okay? I'll get you some water and have one of our cleaners mop this up before the heat makes it any worse." 

 

Not quite trusting herself to speak so soon after throwing up Pearl nodded and allowed herself to be led back into the air conditioning. Rivulets of sweat instantly gelled on the back of her thin neck making her shiver minutely. Part of her was itching to extract herself from this embarrassing situation, run away, and shop online for the rest of time. That part of her tripled in intensity when Blue had to explain to the custodian what happened using a mixture of hand gestures and bad Spanish. Privately she couldn't help but note that the young man was Brazilian and was likely offended that his boss assumed he spoke Spanish. Thankfully she was given an excuse to remove herself from the situation when her phone rang, "hello?" 

"Hiya", an overly cheerful female voice spoke from the other line, "name's Amethyst. I'm calling from Famethyst Construction. We received an estimate request from a", there was the noise of clacking keys in the background, "Miss White. One of our appointments cancelled so we were wondering if your were available to meet up this afternoon? It looks like a few of our girls will be in your neighborhood around two for another job. If you like I can have them swing by your place when they're all set", Amethyst paused for an answer. Over the line Pearl could pick up the faint noise of some kind of office machine, likely a copier. 

 

Pearl glanced down at the wrist watch she wore; according to the atomic clock it was close to eleven. Factoring in wait time for an Uber she estimated she would need an hour to get home. "Yes that would work out excellently", she fought to keep the relief out of her voice. She wanted to catch up with Blue, she really did, but she needed time to regroup after her episode. Adding in the miniature one she had when Peridot knocked that made two flashbacks in less than a twelve our period. Mentally she felt more wrung out than a dish sponge and physically she wasn't much better. After a regretful explanation she and Blue traded phone numbers with a promise to see each other later in the week. Silently she sent out a prayer to whichever deity looked after fractured souls like her's. _Please let me have settled into some kind of normal before I see them again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thank you for reading. Feel free to drop a kudos or comment


	5. Memory Lane

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl kills some time by checking for damage in the rest of her home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh I'm not exactly sure how this happened but yeah I wrote a kind of sex scene. Trust me this isn't what I meant for this chapter but I like it so it's staying. Updates will be more frequent now that the worst of faire season is over.

When Pearl got back home the first thing she did was add Blue's contact information into her phone. After sending a hasty text message apologizing for having to leave she plugged the device in to charge. By then it was five minutes after noon and she still had several hours to kill before her meeting. The logical side of her brain said she should get to work on clearing away the myriad of dust piles lying around. She was all for the idea until she remembered that she didn't have any cleaning supplies. Stocking up on household basics like a broom, mop, paper towels, and such had been her initial motivation for going into town. While technically within Lakesville's borders her home was near the very edge of the town. Most any given retail outlet was a good twenty five minutes away by car and even longer on foot. Considering everything she needed to buy making the trek by foot was unrealistic as well as stupid. Left with nothing else to do she found herself drifting back to her phone, this time opening her email. The delivery POD containing the spartan furnishings from her apartment was due to arrive in three days time. Hopefully the damage to the house wasn't bad enough to render it inhabitable; she hadn't been upstairs yet. 

 

Deciding that it was better to get the shock over with she carefully picked her way back to the foyer. Even her slight weight was enough to make the aged stairs groan in protest as she traveled upward. Without a banister to hold on to she settled for going slowly and keeping one hand on the wall. Tumbling down the stairs would be the rotting cherry on the shit sundae that was her life. Water damage was apparent from the moment she crested the final step of the staircase. Mold was all over the left side of the wall starting from about a foot off the floor. Judging by the amount of dead spores littered across the short hallway Pearl was willing to bet this was an established colony. Bits of plaster, ranging in size from pebbles to nearly the width of Pearl's thumb, were crumbling away from the walls on that side. Powdery green mold traveled up the edge of the bathroom's wooden door frame just barely visible. Were she to remove the paneling Pearl knew she would find more of the destructive fungus. Mentally she made a note to have that whole section of plaster ripped out then replaced. Considering how far along the wall mold had spread there was little hope of doing spot removal. 

By comparison the right wall appeared more or less intact save for the odd dent or sections of peeling paint. Like the living room below it there were sections of the wall with obvious spots where pictures once hung. Her mother loved photography and was especially skilled at getting candid shots of the family. The closest blank spot on the wall used to be a somewhat blurry eight by ten of Pearl's dad playing with the family dog. Pearl dearly hoped that her father still had the old photos somewhere but she feared he had thrown them away in his grief. Shortly after the funeral her father had a bit of a breakdown resulting in him "purging" the house of everything that reminded him of his wife. Before anyone could stop him he had destroyed countless pictures, articles of clothing, and a few pieces of furniture. Watching her oldest brother literally drag their dad out of the house while he wailed like an animal was one of the saddest things Pearl had ever seen. All her life her father had been this unshakable pillar of strength but that night had broken him. Even now he wasn't the same man he had been before the loss of their mother, it was like grief had killed part of him.

Almost directly across from the bathroom was a closed wooden door bearing a sign, "Pearl's Room, please knock". Unbidden the memory of the day she put that sign up came swimming to the surface. Pearl had just turned thirteen and was starting to become interested in the way her body worked post puberty. Other girls at school were overheard talking about how good it felt to be touched on their newly formed breasts. Curious she decided to find out for herself one pleasantly sunny Wednesday afternoon. It was one of the rare days where the house was empty of its usual chaos; her two younger sisters were at dance practice and her brother was starting football practice. After greeting her mother in the living room she made her way upstairs to the bedroom she shared with her sisters. Things started off simply enough, just a wandering hand brushing over the front of her shirt. Even through her blouse and new bra the contact sent electricity down to her core. Repetition being the key to experimentation she performed the action a second and third time increasing the pressure with each pass. 

Her bedroom suddenly felt stiflingly hot, without a second thought Pearl unbuttoned her yellow blouse. Acting of their own volition her long fingers slipped into the cups of her bra exploring the newly sensitive skin. Goose flesh rose on every surface of skin that her fingers made contact with further increasing the sensitivity. Looking down Pearl noticed her slight nipples had risen to stiff peaks due to her ministrations. Using her middle and pointer finger she pinched the stiff bit of flesh just like she heard the other girls talking about. The response was an immediate surge of pleasure so strong she let go of her breast in shock. Following her logic from earlier she repeated the action several times with both hands increasing the pressure as she did so. 

An unfamiliar heat began to gather in Pearl's abdomen spreading lower the longer her hands remained on her stiff nipples. A strange sort of throbbing was happening between her legs, not painful but definitely insistent. Intrigued the teenager removed her right hand from her chest and slipped it under the waistband of her calf length skirt. Moisture had soaked through the front of her cotton panties; panicking Pearl stripped away the rest of her clothing fearing she had started her period. The sight that greeted her was not blood, instead it was a viscous clear liquid that seemed to originate from her vagina. Puzzled she ran her pointer finger through the gathered liquid between her lower lips stifling a gasp as she did so. Touching the area felt good, no it felt amazing, better than anything she had experienced until that morning. Suddenly noticing how much her legs were shaking the teen climbed on to her bed to continue exploring. Eager fingers pressed into the slickness for a second time rubbing slowly along the length of the wetness. The strange heat that she had noticed earlier intensified with the new contact building into something almost molten. Institutionally her left hand resumed its toying with her breast and this time she couldn't hold back her sounds. Those two movements, pleasurable on their own, combined together to something akin to lightning. Her back arched off the mattress unable to remain still under the onslaught of sensation. 

"Pearl are you alright I heard a", her mother's voice cut off into an aghast scream abruptly pulling her from her approaching climax. "Young lady what in the name of God do you think you're doing? Get dressed we're going to church right now", before Pearl could speak her bedroom door slammed shut. The memory faded leaving behind those same feeling of intense shame that haunted Pearl throughout her adolescence. Curiosity had been replaced with deep pious revulsion for both herself and her more sexually free peers. More than a decade later she still had times where she felt disgusted when her thoughts shifted to carnal subjects. 

Bitter emotions were knocked away by the cheery ding of her phone indicating she had a new text message. Shaking her head Pearl decided to leave exploring the upstairs for later when she had company. Other people around her usually prevented her splintered mind from getting caught up in the past. Logically she knew she needed to start moving forward and stop looking back, it was the only way to get control of her life back. Phone in hand she looked down seeing a text from an unknown number, "You asshole why didn't you call me? Blue and I can't wait to see you again and no you're not getting out of this-Y". A faint smile replaced her slight frown of confusion; even after all these years Yellow still sounded the same. After quickly saving the number to her phone's meager contacts list she checked her watch for an update on the time. Still over an hour before the contractors were set to arrive but she felt too tired to do anything responsible.


	6. Reconstruction isn't just for buildings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl goes over the cosmetic and structural damage of her new home with some, hopefully, new friends

In lieu of anything productive, Pearl found herself glued to her phone lost in conversation with Yellow. Being the more outgoing of the three childhood friends, Pearl Goldfield wasn't one to let conversation go idle. With little pretense, she dove into questioning Pearl for the motives behind her sudden return. Direct inquires left the former soldier little choice except explaining everything that had happened between herself, Rose and a grungy band guy named Greg. With as much detachment as she could muster, Pearl recounted the story of the three of them meeting at the karaoke bar. Rose had been drinking heavily and, as she so often did, had convinced Pearl to do the same. Although things became a blur after her third martini, Pearl still remembered being reluctant to join them for sex in Greg's van. She distinctly remembered saying no repeatedly even when Rose started groping her under her shirt. The rest of that night was a blackness that no amount of effort could pierce; memory resumed the next afternoon with her waking up naked between the two. Looking back on it she felt so foolish letting Rose convince her that she had agreed to the threesome. There was no way she could have consented, not with how much alcohol was floating around in her system. 

 

Yellow's text based fury on her behalf was as heartwarming as it was somewhat frightening. "Those duckers, they're lucky Blue and I weren't around when they were pulling that shed". The strangely worded message was quickly followed with one saying "I'm going to FUCKING kill the moron that invented auto-correct". On reflex Pearl's hand swiftly covered her mouth to stifle the bout of giggles brought on by that comment. Say what you will about her, but one thing you could count on was Yellow not beating around the bush. Back in their younger days that level of tactless wit often ended with her friend being dragged to the administrator's office for a lecture. This time however, Pearl appreciated that someone agreed with her about how messed up the situation was instead of putting the blame on her. Rose herself insisted that if Pearl really hadn't wanted to be with them that she should have left instead of staying. In hindsight, she supposed that phrase could sum up the entirety of her time with Rose. How many times had she come back when every logical part of her brain was screaming for her to end it? 

 

Pearl was so engrossed in her digitized conversation that the sound of heavy knocking on the front door took several seconds to register. When it did she shouted a hasty, "coming" before rushing towards the front foyer. Opening the door she found a pair of women wearing t-shirts with the words Famethyst on the front. The woman closest to the door was easily a foot taller than Pearl, with fluffy bleach blonde hair, and golden brown skin. Much like Pearl the woman was rail thin, unlike Pearl she easily reached the six foot mark. Odd white stripes crossed part of her face as well as the exposed parts of her arms. Vitiligo, the word sprang to Pearl's mind almost immediately, although she couldn't remember where she had heard about the disease. It was a fairly harmless skin condition that caused the pigment cells in certain parts of the body to die leaving behind discolored patches. By comparison the woman behind her seemed tall but otherwise unremarkable save for the sheer volume of hair. Locks were gathered atop her head in an elaborately woven braid that was starting to come loose at the ends. Like her friend she was also on the large side but her height was accentuated by broad shoulders and wide curves. Thanks to the light breeze swirling around the front yard Pearl was able to detect hints of body odor mixed with the smell of fresh cut grass. 

 

"Hello", the woman with vilitigo said after a short awkward silence, "are you Miss White?" Considering her rather rough and tumble appearance she had a rather prissy voice almost like that of a stereotypical valley girl. Once Pearl nodded her ascent the woman offered a striped hand, "Awesome I'm Tausa’afia Jasper and this is Jayana Prime." Her long hand easily engulfed Pearl's daintier one in a friendly grip as she introduced herself. Tausa’afia pulled a miniature tablet from a little holster on her belt, "says here you're looking to have some work done on your house. Would you like to show us where the problem areas are or would you prefer to step out while we look around?" 

 

Before Pearl had a chance to answer Jayana elbowed her coworker playfully in the side, "dude why so formal?" Arching a well groomed dark eyebrow she offered her own hand to Pearl, "call me Jay and this is Skinny. Ain't met a single white person yet who can say her name right, hell I haven't met anyone besides her mom that calls her that anyway." Jay's hand was comfortably warm in Pearl's own with rough callouses on the palm and tips of her fingers. Something about the touch was soothing, too many times people tried using handshakes to try and intimidate the lithe soldier. They'd grab on too tight and shake too rough in an attempt to throw her off balance. Neither of the construction workers did that; they neither fought for dominance nor submitted, they simply were. Based on that interaction alone Pearl was willing to follow her intuition and hire them. 

 

"I can take you through", Pearl replied releasing Jay's hand as she did so, "please follow me. There are several problems here on the first floor but I'm most concerned about upstairs. No one has lived here for about four years and it looks like there was a water leak at some point." For the sake of efficiency it was decided that the contractors would split up for the initial walk through. While Jay and Pearl inspected the second floor Skinny took her time moving through the ground level. Three hours later it was decided that on top of replacing the second floor's left hall wall they would also need to put new shingles on the roof, replace a few structural beams in the attic, and patch up the foundation. Overall the house was still in good enough shape for people to live in, much to Pearl's relief. 

 

"Skinny's sister runs our landscaping department, she can have this yard cleared out in a flash", Jay said sounding rather proud. "I know you mentioned wanting to put on a fresh coat of paint, have you considered getting some commission work done? Amethyst, my little sister, is dating this artist chick who can do stuff with paint that I can't even describe. Truth be told I have no idea how Ame can deal with her angst but hey love is love am I right?" She raised her hand for Pearl to high five; Pearl reciprocated the gesture after some hesitation. "Anyways we should probably get going before our office manager, Holly Blue, has a heart attack. Either Holly or Amethyst will give you a call when we get the contract set up but in the meantime", she fished around in her jean pockets, "here's my card. Give me a call if you have any questions or if you think of anything else we need to know okay? Oh and I mean it think about what I said about the commission idea, Lappy does epic stuff". She handed Pearl a slightly wrinkled purple business card after removing a bit of pocket lint from it. 

 

All and all she liked Jay, but was going to need time to adjust to her outgoing demeanor. Perhaps, she mentally reasoned after Skinny and Jay left, spending time with that type of person was exactly what she needed after isolating herself for so long. For years all she had was her military career and Rose and now she was lost without them. Meeting new people was always tricky once you reached adulthood at least in her experience. Trauma made it hard for her to connect with strangers when they talked about the **horrors** of everyday life. After literally pissing herself when an IED exploded less than twenty yards from her tent, she didn't sympathize with people putting up with rude coworkers or complaining about mild annoyances. Prolonged contact with genuinely, open people like Jay seemed like a good way to get her to warm back up to regular folks. Medication could only do so much to stabilize her moods; she knew she needed to stop living like a recluse. Wearily she added that to her mental checklist of "shit I need to do to be sane". It seemed like that particular list was getting longer and more daunting by the day. 

 

Guilt itched at the back of her mind; here she was complaining when so many bled out in the sand. How many of those lost souls would do anything to be given the gift of life that she was taking for granted? Did she even deserve to survive compared to others like Bismuth, Crazy Legs, and Snowflake? What made her so special that even when she rushed headfirst into enemy fire looking for her demise she came out cleaner than when she went in? Fighting back tears, Pearl sat on the floor next to where her phone was still plugged in. "Just keep moving forward," she chanted under her breath, "this will pass like it always does. Find something to keep yourself busy." The first thing she did was order some dinner. Were she being honest, the thought of eating repulsed her but her body needed nourishment to function. After eating she kept herself occupied by making lists of everything she needed to order for the house. Doing that served its purpose of resetting her brain to a calmer state so she could take her evening meds and fall asleep.


	7. Helping People is Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl's belongings arrive and she meets one of her neighbors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, sorry, I know this is super late but this fic isn't dead I promise

"Hmm yes everything appears to be in order", Pearl hummed as she stepped out of the portable storage P.O.D containing her belongings. Three days had come and gone since the initial visit from the girls at Famethyst with little interesting happening. Mostly her days consisted of basic cleaning in preparation for the arrival of her furniture. Until the work was finished on the upstairs her plan was to turn the living room into a bedroom/office. Truth be told she still hadn't decided which of the upstairs rooms she was going to move in to. Setting up in her childhood bedroom, while nostalgic, seemed to contradict her plan to stop living in the past. At the same time it felt wrong to take over the master bedroom where her parents spent so many years together. Considering all the work the upstairs needed she had plenty of time to make up her mind. Holly Blue-Agate had contacted her the previous evening to inform her that the contract for her repairs would be ready on Monday. Technically it was good to go as of Friday evening but the construction portion of the business wasn't open on the weekends. When pressed for further explanation Ms. Blue-Agate begrudgingly stated that the owners would rather loaf about on those days. 

 

"Very well Miss", the cheerful driver who had delivered her belongings said, "is there anything else I can do for you?" Admittedly Pearl had no idea what the typical pay rate for a long distance truck driver was but she hoped this young man was doing well. He had been extremely patient with her even after she insisting on going through her things before he left. If he was at all perturbed by the dark bags under her eyes or the way she twitched at unexpected noises he kept it to himself. His chocolate brown eyes sported their own dark circles; expected given his profession was all about making as many deliveries as he could as quickly as possible. 

 

"No I think that will be all", Pearl replied signing the digital receipt with a flourish. Reaching for her wallet she pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill and handed it over along with the signed contract. Technically tipping was against company policy but she doubted he'd be offended. She couldn't see the harm in rewarding this man for his courtesy and prompt service. The delivery man tipped his faded cap to her with a smile before hopping back into his truck. Along the way he slyly slipped the twenty into the pocket of his well worn denim blue jeans. According to the rental agreement she had with the storage company the P.O.D was her's for the next two weeks. Should she require more than a fortnight she would need to either extend the rental or invest in an actual storage unit. It was only after the driver had vanished from sight that she realized she had a problem, how was she going to get everything inside. Although she was much stronger than she appeared raw strength could only do so much. Things like her futon, for example, required two sets of hands simply because of their length. Perhaps she could ask one of the contractors to give her a hand; she'd pay of course. Too many people, in her opinion, wanted things handed to them without offering compensation. She knew all too well the stereotype of the well to do white woman and did her damnedest to not act like that. 

 

Saturday was already gearing up to be miserable with the day's high estimated to be in the nineties with close to one-hundred percent humidity. Fucked up as it was Pearl was glad for the moisture in the air; it made it easier to remember that she wasn't back in the desert. Heat had a nasty tendency to trigger flashbacks to less than fun memories of her time in the service. By ten in the morning, when the truck arrived, it was already pushing eighty and Pearl had foregone modesty in favor of keeping cool. Instead of her usual capris she was in a pair of black biking shorts that left nothing to the imagination. _Not that there's much to imagine anyway_ , internal self deprecation helpfully supplied. Instead of her more formal tops she was in an old t-shirt that had been cut to expose her midriff. Minute scars could be seen just peaking out from the top of her waistband on her right hip, a souvenir from her first scouting mission. They had come upon what appeared to be a group of civilians clustered around a disabled truck. When she lifted the hood to try and figure out the problem one of the men slashed her with a concealed knife. Training took over and, without hesitation, she broke his arm in two places before putting a bullet in him.

 

In spite of her efforts sweat was already pooling at the nape of her neck soaking into the baby fine hairs located there. At least she had towels now so she could take a shower without having to awkwardly drip dry. Showering was at the top of her itinerary; she was meeting Blue and Yellow later. Through a series of text messages throughout the week the three had arranged to meet up at a local bar called Ruby Rider. Blue hand wanted to drag them off to some hot new club but Pearl had adamantly refused. There was no way she was going to risk losing control over herself by going somewhere with close packed crowds and loud noises. Yellow also hadn't been too keen on the idea stating that it was likely her boss would end up calling her in on her day off. Apparently Giallo Diamond was a brooding tyrant who didn't believe in days off. According to Yellow the woman had an insufferable habit of dragging her employees to work at all hours without preamble. In Yellow's own words, "being her P.A is like that gods awful Prada movie without the glory of Meryl Streep." 

 

Preoccupied as she was Pearl didn't notice she wasn't alone until a friendly female voice asked, "need any help?" Pearl just about jumped out of her skin at the unexpected noise; on instinct her body fell into a defensive crouch. "Easy there She Hulk I didn't mean to scare you", coming around the side of the P.O.D was an African American woman approximately eighteen years of age. Her black hair was naturally curly puffing out around her head in a sort of afro. Large gold hoops adorned her ears helping to highlight the pleasing symmetry of her face. Brown eyes studied Pearl with a friendly interest, "I'm Jenny, Jenny Pizza. My sister Kiki has been bringin food up this way for the past week so I got curious. Nobody's lived here for a long time; at least as far as I know", Jenny held out a manicured hand for Pearl to shake. As Pearl was reciprocating her greeting Jenny's voice rose, "Buck, Sour Cream come over here and help out. One of my boyfriends, Sour Cream, lives a coup[le houses down from you so I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." 

 

Two young men, both appearing to be between eighteen and twenty, came around the side of the P.O.D after being summoned. The first one reminded Pearl of an Aryan scarecrow dressed for an unplanned trip to Wal-Mart. He was easily over the six foot mark and weighed maybe one-hundred pounds soaking wet. Bright orange cargo shorts hung off his lean frame like they would fall down at any moment despite the built in belt. To combat the morning heat he had on a grey tank top that showed off a surprising amount of muscle on his long arms. Industrial sized headphones sat loosely around his neck standing in stark contrast to his paper like skin. Both wrists were adorned with assorted gel bracelets in a wide variety of colors. Topping everything off, literally, was a massive cowlick of bleach blonde hair standing off his head like a wave. 

 

Following just slightly behind the pale young man was another male of about the same age. This one sported richly tanned skin and thick lips that seemed to pout by default. Dark sunglasses took up half of his slightly rounded face held in place by a large button nose. Unlike his companions, who were dressed appropriately given the heat, he was wearing a bright red long sleeved shirt unbuttoned over dark jeans. His brown hair was styled into a spiky sort of Pompadour that came down to perfect peaks on the sides. Without the extra inch or so from the hair he would have been just a little bit shorter than Jenny. 

 

"That's Buck", Jenny said pointing to the dark haired man with the sunglasses, "and that's Sour Cream". Pearl had to bite back a laugh when she realized that Sour Cream was in fact as white as his food based namesake. "Girl it's okay if you wanna laugh, everyone does", Jenny grinned, "I'm pretty sure his mom did it on purpose. Guys can you grab the futon frame from out the back", she gestured to the open P.O.D. Turning back to Pearl Jenny added, "just tell us where you want stuff to go and we'll get it in for you." The act of random kindness was a surprise to Pearl and she briefly wondered if she would have done something at that age for a stranger. She wanted to believe she would have but at this point she was honest enough to admit to herself that she wasn't sure. Thanks to the unexpected help the task was over in about forty minutes instead of the hour and a half Pearl had expected. She was so pleased with their efficiency that she insisted on tipping each of them twenty dollars. "Shoot girl that you", Jenny nearly shouted flinging her arm around Pearl's shoulder in a loose hug. "SC is havin a rave this weekend down on the beach, it's gonna be tight as hell. Hope to see you there", and with that brief farewell Jenny took both boys' hands and walked away leaving Pearl to contemplate what she wanted to do until her meet up with Blue and Yellow.


	8. Update

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short update from the author that will be deleted once I get my shit together

I'm not dead and I have not forgotten about this story!!!!!!!!!   
Progress has been hella slow due to lack of inspiration, a short that I'm doing, and a top secret project that I can't talk about right now.   
There will be updates, I repeat updates WILL happen.   
I love you all and appreciate your patience


	9. Ruby Rider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl meets up with Yellow and Blue for an evening of catching up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SWEAR I'M NOT DEAD!!!!! I'm sorry this took so long I promise I'll be better in the future

The cheerful twang of steel guitars greeted Pearl from the moment she was dropped off in front of Ruby Rider. Lakesville, being an established town along the eastern seaboard, was not the sort of place one would expect to find a honky tonk. Yet here she was staring at a parking lot packed with cars and a line of people waiting to get in. Her Uber driver had mentioned that the bar can get pretty busy during the weekends. Part of her strongly considered calling the night off lest she be overwhelmed by the noise and crowd. _"Oh for fuck's sake Pearl"_ , an internal voice that sounded suspiciously like her mother chastised. _"You're almost thirty years old, grow up and stop trying to run away from everything just because it **might** be bad."_ She cringed at the scathing honesty of her inner monologue knowing full well it was at least partially correct. So much of her time since getting out of the service was spent avoiding anything that could possibly trigger her. At what point was she going to finally decide to take control of her illness instead of letting it control her? Call it fate, or a driver's impatience, but the choice was taken out of Pearl's hands when her Uber got another customer and drove away. 

 

"Well, as Bismuth would say, it's time to nut up or shut up", Pearl whispered aloud to herself. Hearing an echo of her commanding officer's rough and tumble attitude, even if it was in her own head, was comforting. Training sessions with the larger than life squad leader had done wonders to bring Pearl out of her shell. Forcing away memories of pureed brain matter Pearl straightened her shoulders and walked towards the back of the line. Sunset did little to cool the blistering heat of the day limiting her wardrobe choices. A knee length white dress, accented by small yellow flowers, billowed around her long legs. Seeing the primary makeup of the parking lot she was glad she hadn't worn heels. Mixing finely ground stone with elevated heels was a broken ankle in the making. 

“White , over here” , a somewhat haughty voice called out from a nearby car. Startled, Pearl twisted her head around towards the source of the noise. To her left a car door was opened releasing its grinning driver. Yellow certainly seemed to be doing well for herself if her shiny sports car was anything to go by. Pearl was unprepared to see her childhood friend's sandy blonde hair dyed almost neon. Her pointed face sported a tasteful swipe of blush adding just the right amount of color to offset the bags under her eyes. Like Pearl Yellow was using a cotton dress to counter the oppressive heat. Red complimented her pale skin, the color echoed in the woman's choice of lipstick. 

Blue emerged from the passenger seat smiling shyly at her childhood friend. Long bangs covered her eyes parting at the bridge of her prominent nose. Unlike her two companions she was not wearing a dress instead opting for a tight powder blue tank top and shorts a few shades darker. Silver flats, almost like ballet shoes, completed the outfit. “Told you she'd show up”, her soft voice carried untold amounts of mirth as she playfully elbowed Yellow. Turning back to Pearl she clarified, “she was convinced you'd skip out on us for some hot date.” Her lithe arms extended snagging Pearl with one around her elbow and doing the same with Yellow. 

“It feels like forever since we've all been together”, Pearl mused as the trio took their place in line. Any unease she'd been experiencing throughout the day vanished in the wake of her friends. Blue was leaning happily against her side still holding her arm; the physical contact was both familiar and welcome. A short breeze brought the faint scent of upcoming rain to hopefully cut some of the humidity. Throbbing pain in Pearls left hip confirmed the presence of precipitation on its way in. It was an old dance injury that liked to flare up during heavy rains. So far the pain wasn't bad enough to bother the veteran's heightened tolerance. She had experienced far worse than an irritating burning sensation. 

“Not since graduation day”, Yellow added matter of factly, “you ran off right after we picked up our caps. Guess you had a hot date”, although she was clearly teasing Pearl couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. At the time she hadn’t known that would be her last free day before getting sent off for basic training. It had been easy to blow off her childhood friends in favor of an afternoon exploring Rose’s curvaceous glory. In thinking about it that woman had known exactly how to get Pearl under her spell and keep her there. Social isolation was a very common tactic for domestic abusers because it makes their victims even more dependent on them. An isolated victim has no support system to help them escape their abuser, they don’t even have someone telling them that something isn’t right. 

“Earth to White”, Blue’s soft voice preceded a light elbow to the side, “you need your ID space case.” Blinking to clear her head of its dour thoughts Pearl found herself at the front of the line separated from her destination by a bouncer. Waiting just beyond the velvet stanchion was the tallest person she had ever seen. Bleached white hair stuck out in all directions around a starkly angular face. Acid green eyes stood out against golden colored skin streaked with off patches of discoloration. Stretched tight across her chest was a dark green muscle shirt that excelled at showing off her lean frame and toned arms. Despite the heat her lower half was sheathed in leather pants that were so tight they looked painted on. Most prominent was a streak that ran over her triple pierced pointed nose like tribal war paint. Another piercing graced her dark lips, a single silver ring that seemed far too thick to be standard issue. Seeing how flustered her presence was making Pearl the woman grinned revealing pointed teeth. The smile seemed less like an expression of joy and more like an excuse for the woman to bare her teeth. 

“You’re holding up the line bean pole”, the bouncer’s voice had a scratchy quality to it not unlike a chain smoker or someone with a bad cough. One large hand was held out expectantly between the bouncer and the increasingly flustered Pearl. A blue tattoo around the woman's wrist shone in the entryway lights, it looked like chains wrapping around her arm. Scar tissue was expertly disguised by the colorful ink, only noticed because Pearl knew what she was looking at. Suicide attempts were nothing new to those with enough time in the service no matter how much people would want otherwise. Pearl herself had her fair share of attempts under her belt although hers consisted of throwing herself face first into enemy fire. 

Blinking owlishly the waifish blonde hesitated for a second before digging around in her purse, “oh yes um sorry.” Panic clenched in her chest when she couldn't immediately locate her wallet. When her fingertips brushed the zipper she just about cheered out loud, “here it is.” Unzipping the wallet she passed her military identification card to the bouncer. Anxiety made her feel like thousands of eyes were obsessively scrutinizing her every movement. Phantom whispers buzzed in the back of her mind highlighting flaws both real and imaginary. Trembling started in her hands even as she mentally zoomed in on nearby objects to hold off the incoming panic attack. Five things she could see nearby, that was easy, she picked out a few cars and a man in line with fantastic dreadlocks. Four things she could touch: the velvet rope, her purse, Yellow's arm, and the fabric of her dress. Three things she could hear: her heartbeat, music coming from inside, and cars from the nearby road. The simple grounding exercise worked well enough to get her through.

Wordlessly her identification card was returned and the little clip on the velvet rope was undone to permit her inside. “Summer traffic”, Yellow grumbled completely unaware of Pearl's inner turmoil. “Normally the line isn't this bad”, carefully they wove their way through the tightly packed crowd. Overall the decor was predictable to the point that it bordered on cliche. Hay bales sat in neat piles on either side of the raised stage that acted as the large room's centerpiece. Off to one side of the stage a jeering crowd was gathered around a mechanical bull supervised by a laughing red faced woman. Just beyond the tightly packed dance floor small round tables topped with checkered cloths were scattered about. Bull horns, horseshoes, and other assorted western themed items hung on the walls including several rodeo trophies. Definitely not what one would expect from a white collar suburb on the East coast but perhaps that was why it was so popular. Evolution has trained the human brain to seek out new and novel experiences in order to broaden their chances of survival. 

Up on stage a local band was playing something that vaguely sounded like eighties rock over the noise of the crowd. Pearl found herself mesmerized by the woman swaying and playing the guitar. Blue and pink blobs colored on her nylon bodysuit immediately stood out against the warmer tones of the room. Hips, nearly as wide as the black Afro she had, swung hypnotically back and forth to the beat. Ebony skin glowed under the stage lights shining with a light sheen of sweat from her exertion. Topping the whole thing off were a set of sunglasses so dark that they seemed to swallow any light that got too close. An enigmatic smirk, not unlike that of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, gave her an air of mystery and cool that couldn’t be matched by anything else. 

Behind her a mass of lavender hair whipped back and forth behind an impressive drum set. Raspy vocals coming from a head mounted microphone enhanced the British accented tones produced by the lead singer. The hair's owner was almost completely hidden from view due to her short stature compared to the instrument. Voluptuous curves defined everything about the drummer balanced out by strong arms. A white wife beater rode up slightly over her round belly showing off both a belly button piercing and stretch marks. Her dark jeans were faded from one too many trips through the washing machine and had stars cut out of the knees. Completing the whole outfit were a pair of white ankle boots that were scuffed around the toes. The woman's brown eyes and button nose reminded Pearl of someone although she couldn't place who. 

“But enough of my complaining”, Yellow's voice pulled Pearls attention back to her friends; the entire reason she was out and about. “Tell us how you’ve been White, you’ve been off the grid since you enlisted and now you’re back out of nowhere. Where have you been hiding?” The three of them were at one of the few empty tables, making them too far away from the stage for Pearl’s liking. She wanted more time to study the two obviously talented women playing their hearts out for the entertainment of an enthusiastic crowd. Not being able to place where she knew the drummer from was driving her to distraction. 

Forcing herself to take a deep breath Pearl climbed into the closest high top chair and looked between her friends. Yellow’s face was intent, full of interest and a determination to find out as much information as she could. Blue had an expression of curiosity that almost seemed like it was tinged with worry. There was no need to kill the good mood they had by sharing all the grim details of her return home but at the same time she didn’t want to lie either. Thinking carefully she began, “I’ve been a civilian for a little over a year now thanks to a medical discharge. Rose and I were living out in Denver together but we’re”, her throat tried to constrict, “no longer seeing each other.” Even after all this time it still hurt her to say; Rose Quartz had been her universe, her everything. “Dad decided he wanted to retire”, she barreled ahead not giving her friends a chance to ask follow up questions, “so I said I’d take over the house.” From there she launched into details about the remodeling, scared to pause for breath lest the conversation return to Rose. By the time the night ended she fell into her bed drained but ultimately happy that she’d gone out.


	10. Landscape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl meets her landscaper

Heavy handed knocking on the front door filtered through the scattered chaos of Pearl’s dreams in order to wake her. By her own admission she had imbibed more to drink than she should have leading to her current issues. Her head was pounding to the beat of the door, she had a sand factory instead of a mouth, and worst of all her bladder was screaming. Persistent ringing coming from the direction of her phone was the icing on the cake of misery that was her morning. Flopping face down into her mattress the previous night left her body painfully stiff and difficult to coordinate. Cursing to herself she fought to be free of the blanket cocoon that had been so comfortable a moment prior. Eventually her lethargic flailing caused her fingertips to brush the infernal electronic device that was adding to her torment. “Hello”, her voice was scratchy from dehydration and a tongue that felt three sizes too big. 

“Uh hey this is Jasper”, the person on the other line was female albeit with a rather gruff voice. Husky was probably the best way Pearl could describe the sound, either that or confused. When there wasn't a reply the stranger continued, “this is Pearl White right? I'm here to start working on your lawn”, Jasper knocked again more hesitant than she had done previously. “Holly Blue sent me”, she trailed off unsure of how to proceed. 

“Oh right”, Pearl slapped her head with her free hand then immediately regretted it; her headache resumed. “Please forgive me I'm a little slow this morning”, she finally managed to free her limbs from her blankets. Her injured leg gave a warning crack when she stretched it out. “I'll be right there sorry”, having gone to bed inebriated she couldn't remember where her clothes were discarded. Hyper aware of how much time she was taking to get to the door Pearl gave up on her search for a proper outfit. Resigned to the nearest oversized shirt the ex soldier made her way to the door barefoot. On the way her toe caught the edge of broken piece of flooring leading to a nasty splinter. 

Swearing under her breath Pearl hopped to the front door holding her injured foot in one hand. “So sorry I didn’t hear my..holy shit you’re tall”, her polite demeanor segued into word vomit when she got a good look at her guest. Jasper was a giant of a woman, in every conceivable sense of the term, easily topping the six foot mark in height alone. A massive mane of dyed white hair was pulled away from her face by a series of hair ties that looked like they were going to snap at any moment. Muscular arms hung loosely from broad shoulders that were framed by a black tank top. Strange white patches crossed her skin at odd intervals particularly around her face and right arm. Finishing the whole look off was a piercing on the side of her angular nose with a yellow stud. A perfectly sculpted bleached eyebrow went skyward at the other woman’s lack of clothing but she didn’t say anything. 

Rather than being offended by Pearls slip of the tongue Jasper seemed to puff up with pride. “Six foot eight and a half inches”, her voice had a slight husky quality to it that may not have been intentional. One massive hand extended in greeting, “name's Jasper Betos and like I said I'm here to landscape. Looks like you've got quite a project on your hands”, she gestured to the overgrown yard. Once immaculately maintained flower beds were now tangled masses of weeds. Bramble bushes had overtaken the backyard and creeping up the sides of the house. Crabgrass easily five inches high owned every available inch of lawn that wasn’t already occupied by sundry debris. 

“Yes I agree”, Pearl replied shaking the offered hand after a moment's hesitation. “My father left the poor girl to her own devices I'm afraid. As much as I would love to do everything myself I don't know where to begin. Perhaps you could offer some guidance”, she gave a smile that she hoped conveyed a confidence she didn't quite feel. Realizing she was still shaking Jasper's hand she quickly let go and stepped back. “Please come inside.” Internally she cringed at how much of a mess the house was thanks to construction and her laziness the past couple of days. Laundry was piled in one corner of the gutted living room that was currently being used as a bedroom slash living space. Takeout contained sat in random spaces around the large room left to ferment where they were emptied. Pearl knew she needed to get her act together and clean the place up, however gathering the motivation was proving difficult. 

“Uh no thanks I'd rather just get started I've got three other jobs I gotta get to today. I don't have the tools with me to get at the bigger trees. This morning is mostly getting an idea of what you want done and setting up a schedule.” Like the other contractors from Famethyst Jasper unhooked a tablet looking device from her belt to do business on. Silently Pearl wondered if her preference for doing things on good old fashioned paper made her seem older than she actually was. “Walk me around the area and we can talk about a plan of attack, I’d suggest getting something on your legs first.” She used the little black stylus that came with the tablet to gesture towards a long line of exposed calf, “ticks can get nasty this time of year.” 

An hour later Jasper was gone leaving Pearl with a lingering sense of embarrassment over how she acted. Of course the other woman would be uncomfortable with coming inside she probably thought Pearl was coming on to her. Who wouldn’t be creeped out if they showed up to a job and the person answered the door in their underwear? Elegantly long fingers spelled out her embarrassment in every grueling detail in a text message to Blue. The two of them had been communicating for most of the morning recapping highlights from their evening together. Yellow ended up calling out of work the next day thanks to her brilliant idea of trying out the mechanical bull after three martinis. Seven seconds into the ride she got tossed like a ragdoll and landed hard on her back in the hay.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment and let me know what you think of my first attempt at this ship


End file.
